Politics

What Tristram Hunt's Twitter slip tells us about democracy

Voters are frustrated because they can't get clear information

February 02, 2015
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When Thomas Mann, a father of two and education campaigner from Lewisham, wanted to get information on different parties' education proposals—in other words, how his vote would affect his kids—he initially drew a bit of a blank. He can, as he points out, judge the government's policy on schools from what he and his kids have seen for the past five years. But he struggled to find much clear information about what the opposition parties would offer.

So he did what a lot of politically engaged Londoners would do—he went on Twitter. He tweeted at his local Green party candidate, Tom Chance, who sent over a link to the party's white paper:

@curv_org we won't publish the 2015 manifesto until April, but you can read our 'white paper' or wider vision here http://t.co/MFm43vxy2X

— Tom Chance (@tom_chance) January 31, 2015
In the case of the Labour party, he aimed higher and got in touch with Shadow Education secretary Tristram Hunt. Hunt sent him a link to Laboureducation.org.uk—the party's education policy site. "There was no detail on there. There was basically abuse at the Tories and some little soundbites," Mann explains. He wanted more, so he went back to Hunt asking for "some detail covering the full complexity of education policy." The response—which came from Hunt's official, verified account—was surprisingly intemperate. He told Mann to "Stop moaning" "read the speeches" and "do some work:

"

In immediate, party-political terms, this was an unfortunate move from Hunt on a day where distractions weren't welcome—Hunt has been giving Labour's response to David Cameron's latest education proposals this afternoon. Mann says he hasn't made up his mind how to vote but this slip, in combination with what he sees as undemocratic behaviour from his local Labour-run council, who he says are supporting the conversion of a school into an academy, have made him less likely to vote Labour. He notes that the Green party—to whom Labour fears losing supporters—were the only party that gave him a satisfactory response. "As a politician, he has robust discussions with people [both] online and in person," was what a spokesperson for Hunt had to say on the matter.

Labour's strategy for the election is focused on direct communication with voters. Ed Miliband has a much-touted ambition for his party team to conduct four million doorstep conversations before election day, and the party's manifesto drafting process will, at least in theory, take the views of voters into account and is branded as "your Britain." Lucy Powell, one of the party's top election team, is hot on social media discipline, calling an unguarded tweet by former Shadow Attorney General Emily Thornberry "disrespectful" last year.

But Mann's reaction to Hunt's words also highlights a deeper problem, shared by most politicians and parties; the lack of clear information about politics and policy. "There should be something that is clear, unambiguous and digestible," says Mann. A report from the speaker's commission on digital democracy earlier this month highlighted the lack of undiluted and easy to access information about parliament and its activities. It pointed out that the House of Commons doesn't have enough digital specialists to work on solutions to the problem. The same could be said of parties, particularly comparatively underfunded Labour.

Mann also said that he wants to feel that his opinions are taken into account by politicians; that they welcome a dialogue with him about policy. "I need a party that seeks its electorate's opinion... in between election days," he says. He's not alone. Dr Finbarr Livesey, a public policy lecturer at Cambridge, tells me that polling shows just 7 per cent of people feel engaged in policymaking, where 53 per cent would like to be involved in some way. Parties could be doing more to close that gap, at least to some extent. One example Livesey gives is the idea of "participatory budgeting," where "you involve people [by] saying 'here's the money... here's everything we're trying to do, how should we structure the budget?'" Parties could even put together online games where voters pretend to be the Chancellor to help them understand what's involved, he says. Election campaigning and the constant stream of Twitter abuse politicians incur can be tiring.

But Hunt's slip today highlights the uncomfortable consequences of annoying a frustrated electorate. He provoked a storm of furious tweets:

@TristramHuntMP@curv_org@TeacherROAR voters shouldn't have to search for policies they should be informed. Stay off Twitter perhaps. — whysomanyfreaks? (@antspants04) February 2, 2015


@TristramHuntMP@curv_org@TeacherROAR Stop it, you're an embarrassment. (Lab member btw, in case you feel like displaying immaturity again)

— FW (@frozenwarning) February 2, 2015


@TristramHuntMP@curv_org@TeacherROAR I really do despair at Tristram. Always voted labour but no longer. — Timbo (@nedchester) February 2, 2015




And saw the Tories jump gleefully on to the affair:
A lesson in how not to win friends & influence people is @TristramHuntMP lofty patrician advice to teachers this morning.

— Rob Wilson (@RobWilson_RDG) February 2, 2015


Not quite the Emily Thornberry affair but hardly what voters expect...